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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29308665">National Potato Day!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasty0kitsune0brains/pseuds/absurdAnarchist'>absurdAnarchist (tasty0kitsune0brains)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>August 19, Bad Puns, Birthday Party, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Minor Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Party, Party Games, Potato Party, Potato Puns, Potatoes, Puns &amp; Word Play, This Is STUPID, i dont know how to tag this honestly, national potato day</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:22:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,097</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29308665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasty0kitsune0brains/pseuds/absurdAnarchist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave found out there's a national potato day and throws a birthday party for potatoes. He goes maybe a little overboard.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>National Potato Day!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this, like, two or three years ago in about two hours. Please have mercy. It's not edited or proofread at all. I just found it while looking through my Google Drive. It was an untitled document in a sea of untitled documents. I opened all of them, and most of them were stupid things, this included.</p><p>A little backstory: I found out that my birthday, August 19th, is National Potato Day, I think... four years ago now? I don't remember. Anywho, ever since then, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I made jokes fairly often about how the biggest potato of them all (me, duh) was born on National Potato Day. Then I made that joke on my birthday two or three years ago and it got me thinking, "Hmm.... Potato birthday party." I proceeded to spend the next two hours neglecting my birthday "celebration" in favor of writing this fanfic.</p><p>I thought it was great at the time, but I'm honestly a little scared to read it now. So I'm not going to. I'm posting it here to make you people suffer in my stead. Plus, I'm sick and already suffering enough.</p><p>This note is getting long, but one last thing: It's been so long since I wrote this that I may have it tagged wrong. I may have missed characters or tagged a character who isn't in it. The tags in general are just subpar. Feel free to recommend tags in the comments. Also, I don't remember the degree of DaveKat that I wrote, but I'm pretty sure it was subtle? Maybe? It was at least, like, a background/after thought. I think I also meant to imply that a lot of people were there but only mentioned a handful by name. Oops?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>National Potato Day. August nineteenth. Dave isn't sure why or how he knows this odd holiday, but it's today, he loves it, and he plans to celebrate it immensely. Like a potato birthday. Yes, yes, he is now certain that potatoes were discovered and therefore born on this day, no matter how obviously incorrect and nonsensical that idea is. He has convinced himself and it is set in stone, no takesies backsies, this is fact now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave hasn't had much to do with his copious free time since the game ended, so planning a potato birthday party was a cinch. Kind of. How is he supposed to celebrate with all of the potatoes in existence? Either time shenanigans are gonna need to go down or he's gonna have to suck it up and celebrate with the amount of potatoes he can find and keep in his apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heaving the heaviest sigh he's probably sighed in his entire life, Dave flops backward over the back of his couch. He has most of the party planned already and has all the materials and supplies, he just needs to set it up, invite all his friends, and figure out the potatoes. It's already Potato Day, and his party needs to happen today. This party has been in the works for months, and he was so excited. Just a few things can make it all fall apart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next to him, sitting on the couch like a normal person, Karkat groans. "Is it your dumb fucking potato party again?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Making an offended noise, Dave looks at him and says, "It's not dumb. It's amazing. Potatoes deserve a birthday party too, just like the rest of us!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pfft, yeah, sure," Karkat scoffs. "They're just plants. They don't have emotions or memories or birthdays. They don't understand the concept of… well, concepts. They don't have brains, Dave. Get that fact through yours. Sometimes I question if it still exists."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave gasps. "Karkat! Paul and Penelope Potaterman are right there!" He points to the coffee table in front of the couch, where two potatoes with googly eyes, pipe cleaner arms and mouths, and scraps of fabric glued on as clothes are lounging. "Don't say such rude things in front of them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Karkat stands up, putting his hands on his hips and staring down at the blond draped across the back of the couch. "Dave, how old are you? Honestly, sometimes I swear you are three human years old." He tries to sound annoyed, but he can't hide the slight humor in his tone and the smile tugging at his lips. He adds, mumbling, "But I'll be damned if it isn't adorable most of the time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grinning, Dave gets up off the couch, standing and turning to face the short troll. "Don't think I didn't hear that, Karkitty," he teases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat flushes a little, looking at the ground and mumbling, "Yeah, whatever." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave's grin grows, but he decides his failing party is more important at the moment than teasing the easily flustered troll. "Come on, you could at least help me with this. What should I do about the potatoes? I can't celebrate with all potatoes in one day, and that's my major problem. Pretty much everything depends on the potatoes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat sighs. He knew he would get tied up in this. Of course, he always planned on going to the party, but helping plan and set up the party is completely different from attending. Shaking his head he suggests, "I guess you could use your Time powers, but that may take away from the sentiment behind it. And it may be confusing. Plus, you haven't done that in awhile. Maybe try spreading the word as far as you can and have people celebrate all around the world? They listen to you and like you. They'd celebrate anything you tell them to. The more people who celebrate, the happier the potatoes are, right? You'd be doing potatokind an even bigger kindness. And some of our friends may not be able to make it to the party, so those who can't come can celebrate where they are."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave gasps, grin widening impossibly farther. He excitedly surges forward and hugs Karkat, lifting him into the air and spinning around. "Oh my God, Karkat! You're a genius! Why didn't I think about that earlier? Thank you so much."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Awkwardly, Karkat pats his back and says, "Yeah, uh, okay. You're welcome, I guess. Can you, um, put me down please?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Dave sets him down and backs away. Smiling, he asks, "So, you want to help me send out invitations? As you know, I wanted this party to be sort of a surprise for both the potatoes and the other guests, so not even Rose or John know yet. You're the only one I told, so I need help dispersing the invitations and whatnot, especially now that we're inviting literally the whole world."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a snort, Karkat replies, "Yeah, sure, as long as I don't have to do any weird potato stuff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nah, man," Dave reassures him. "The closest to weird potato stuff is scanning, copying, and cutting out the potato-shaped invites that we suddenly need a lot more of."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat sighs. "Oh my God. I should have known they'd look like potatoes. How are we dispersing these?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave stops and considers for a moment. "Hm. I hadn't thought of that. We'll just cross that bridge when we burn it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat shakes his head and says, "Okay, show me what exactly you want me to do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next few hours were spent with Karkat making the invitations and Dave setting up everything else. Once they had enough invitations, Dave decided to message his friends scanned copies of the invitations and ask their assistance in spreading the physical ones. He got his hands on a plane somehow, which he used to drop the invitations on crowds like flyers or propaganda. With a few time shenanigans, he cut down on time. As an extra measure, he also posted the scanned copy all over the internet. He hoped that both the physical invitations and the online ones would get spread around to people who didn't see it. Part of the invitation asks that people record their celebrations so he can see them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In short order, his friends replied. Most said they'd be able to make it, but Jake and Jade couldn't, mostly due to the short notice. It was all beginning to fall into place, and Dave could hardly wait for his friends to get there. In the meantime, he needed to get some more potatoes to celebrate with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not long after, people begin arriving. Dave has party hats and a potato companion ready for everyone. The potato companion is your assigned birthday kid. Dave isn't sure if potatoes have genders, so no birthday boys or girls. They're kids and will be treated as such. No disrespecting his potato buds. Or his spuds, if you will. That's a joke he just thought of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once all his friends who could make it have arrived, Dave smiles and claps his hands together. "Who's ready for potato fun!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of them are slightly confused, but they're all used to Dave's antics at this point, so they decide to humor him. They all let out a huge cheer, and Dave grins from ear to ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes! First things first, time to get acquainted with your birthday companion," Dave explains. "As you can all see, they have little intro cards attached to them with their name and a few facts about them. Using these facts, we are going to go out and each buy presents for our companion!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone looks at him weirdly, but they all go with it anyway. As everyone starts reading, Dirk raises his hand. Dave signals him to go ahead and he asks, "Why does my potato look like a butt?" He holds up his potato and everyone looks at it. A few of them snicker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave puts his hands on his hips and defensively says, "Are you making fun of Rich Astler? They're very sensitive about it, especially since their last name has 'ass' in it. If you read the card, you would know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amused, Dirk nods as if in understanding and turns back to his potato. "Right. Sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You should be," Dave says. "Since I'm already acquainted with my potato companion, Penelope Potaterman, I'll help the mayor with his. I'm not sure how well he can read English, if at all, especially my terrible handwriting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, for the next ten minutes, everyone read their cards and thought of what to buy their potato. For instance, Dirk's potato, Rich Astler, which John secretly dubbed the buttato, is sensitive about his physical appearance, loves cars and robots, watches action movies in his free time, and is a mechanic. Dirk isn't completely sure what to make of that, but he shrugs and decides to get him a model car, probably something from an action movie, and maybe one of those make-it-yourself solar tin can robots for kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they all seemed ready, they headed out to the store and bought their gifts. As a few examples, Kanaya bought a small doll dress and jewelry for hers, Sabrina Spudson, who loves fashion and vampire romance novels. Rose bought a mini wand and spellbook and a picture of Sabrina for hers, Sammy Spudson, who loves witchcraft and apparently Sabrina, who she changed her last name to match despite not being married (she's not sure if they're even in a relationship). Rose doesn't believe her potato's love for Kanaya's is a coincidence. Dirk bought exactly what he thought of earlier. The mayor decided to draw something with chalk and give both the drawing and the chalk he used to his, Tater (the potato version of "Mayor") Tyson, who loves chalk, drawing, democracy, and being adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone knows their potatoes were obviously tailored to them, at least to an extent, but no one mentions it. When they get back to the apartment, Dave pulls out wrapping paper and tape and makes everyone wrap the presents. They groan but otherwise don't complain. Except Karkat, obviously, but to be fair, he's been putting up with this kind of stuff all day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Dave," Karkat whines, "do I seriously have to wrap this? I just bought it and the potato who's getting it is fucking right there, watching me wrap it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave, who is already putting on the last piece of tape on his, narrows his eyes at Karkat. "Yes, you do have to wrap it. Everyone else is wrapping theirs. The potatoes may be watching us wrap it, and they'll be ripping the wrapping off two minutes after we finish, but it's the principle behind it. You wrap gifts, Karkat. It's common courtesy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my fucking God," the troll groans. "Fine, whatever." He relents and starts wrapping it, but he does a terrible job, both because he sucks at wrapping and because he's trying to make a point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they've all finished they hand the gifts to the potatoes. Since potatoes don't have actual arms or hands, the gift givers have to open the presents for them. Karkat thought this was dumb too. Why did he even wrap it if he's just going to be tearing it open right after anyway? But, this time, he keeps silent about it. Everyone can see the annoyance on his face clear as day, though. He doesn't have to say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the gifting ceremony, with Dave pretending like all the potatoes were so obviously excited by what they got, they all sat down to play some games. Of course, everyone was partnered with their potato companions. They play Monopoly first, which ends when Karkat flips the board after going bankrupt and almost throws his potato against the wall. Dave tackles him to make sure he doesn't murder the poor potato. His potato companion privileges are promptly revoked and they go on to play the next game, Clue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before everyone arrived, Dave altered the game a little to make it potato themed. Paul Potaterman, who was nowhere to be seen during the whole party, had been murdered in their home. All of the potatoes present are suspects. They have to work to find out who killed Paul, what they killed them with, and where. Since Karkat no longer has a potato, he either can't play or he has to join Dave's team. Dave's team specifically because he adopted Karkat's potato. He begrudgingly agrees, but only because he wants to play a murder game, especially since the victim is what he's hating most in this moment -- potatoes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clue ends well, unlike Monopoly. Turns out it was Sammy, with the voodoo doll, in the kitchen. Ironic how that turned out, since Sammy is into witchcraft. Rose decided to play along and said Sammy only did it because Paul was trying to make a move on Sabrina. They had to -- for love! Everyone in the room gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave covers Penelope's "ears" and yells, "How dare you say that! Paul was a loving spouse to Penelope and would never think of being unfaithful! And right in front of the grieving widow, too! Have you no shame or compassion in your heart?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roxy grins and joins in. "Oh, but it's true, Dave! My potato companion, Tammy Tubervan is Sammy's sibling and told them the truth! They saw Paul with Sabrina, trying to flirt with them. Tammy just told me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With an offended noise, Dave looks over at Sabrina and Kanaya. "Please, tell me this isn't true," he wails. "Paul would never do something like that!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanaya looks like she has no idea what to do in this situation, but Karkat does. He just got a brilliant idea. He takes advantage of Dave's distraction and crawls behind him to get to his previous potato and Penelope, who Dave had dropped. He grabs them and positions them against the wall, making it look like Penelope pinned the other potato against the wall and they're now having sloppy make outs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat fake gasps. "Oh no! Dave, look!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave turns and looks at the scene in horror. "Penelope, no! How could you do this to Paul! And with his best friend, no less!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dirk, who had been quietly observing the situation like the rest of them, speaks up. "Hey, Rich says that they told Paul that Penelope was having an affair," he informs them. "Rich had a crush on Paul and couldn't bear to see them with, quote, 'a traitorous skank.' Paul then tried to make Penelope jealous by hitting on Sabrina. Paul never actually had any real feelings for Sabrina. Sammy just jumped to conclusions, and now Rich has no one. Paul was their only friend."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The plot thickens," Karkat says, grinning. "Any other developments? Oh, look. Sabrina and Sammy are gone. Where could they be?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone looks around. Kanaya and Rose have that guilty "I don't know what you're talking about" look on their faces. Karkat is right. Their potatoes are gone. Dave narrows his eyes and asks, "Where are Sabrina and Sammy?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanaya simply says, "They needed to take a moment to discuss their relationship. You know, killing for someone is a rather big testament to your love. And some people think it's hot. With all those vampire romance novels Sabrina reads, I think it's safe to assume what they think about this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave gasps. "Oh my God. They're getting it on at a time like this?" He looks over at Dirk's potato and says, "I am so sorry, Rich. After everything else you've been through in your life." Karkat snorts and Dave gives him a pointed look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, does anyone else's potato have a connection to admit?" Karkat asks, looking around the circle. Everyone else either shakes their head or remains silent. "Okay then. How about a moment of silence for recent tragic events? Then we can move forward with Paul's memory in our hearts." Karkat mostly means this sarcastically, but Dave nods and agrees that it's a good idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After an almost awkward silence, Dave sighs and stands up. "Well, how about we eat? Maybe some food can help lift our spirits. Kanaya, Rose, retrieve your potatoes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all head to the dining area, where everyone dropped off food if they brought some. At first, Dave didn't pay attention to what they brought, but now he sees a problem. Incredulously, he asks, "Who brought the potato salad and the potato chips? What the fuck?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>John and Jane raise their hands. John says, "I brought the chips, she brought the salad. What's wrong?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's wrong?" Dave repeats like he can't believe his friend just said that. "Oh, my God, John! We can't just eat their brethren right in front of them! And on their birthday at their birthday party no less!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jane rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. "You're overreacting, Dave."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Overreacting? I'll show you overreacting!" He grabs the chips and salad and drags Jane and John to the door. Opening the door, he pushes them out and shoves the food into their chests. "Get out and get rid of that shit. Once you've thought about what you've done, you may come back. Your potatoes will be taken care of in the meantime. Goodbye." Then he slams the door, turns the lock, and turns back around to see everyone staring at him oddly. "What? It's completely disrespectful to eat someone's brethren right in front of them. Imagine how that would make you feel."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rose and Kanaya exchange a look. "Umm, yeah, Dave," Rose says slowly. "This was fun and all for a little bit, but now it's starting to get weird. You know potatoes don't have feelings, right? It was fun to pretend, but that was a bit far."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are you saying?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighs. "Dave, I think Kanaya and I are going to leave. We have some stuff we have to do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanaya nods and agrees. "Yeah, sorry, Dave. See you later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, okay then," Dave says with a small sigh. Everyone else says something similar to Rose, and he moves aside to let them all leave. Soon everyone but Karkat and the mayor are gone. It seems he really messed that up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did he really take this potato birthday thing too far? Maybe he was overreacting and it wasn't that big of a deal that they brought potato foods to eat. He just got really excited about this and got maybe a little too into it. It was supposed to be a fun potato celebration, and he fucked it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, he looks around and decides to just start cleaning up, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to realize that Karkat and the mayor are still there. A grey hand suddenly covers Dave's as he pulls down the "Happy Birthday" banner, and he jumps. He looks over to see Karkat and the mayor giving him sympathetic looks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, hey," Dave says with a sad smile. "I thought you guys left too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat snorts. "Dave, I fucking live here. Why would I leave? And more importantly, where the fuck would I even go?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave just shrugs. "I figured you probably had enough of my bullshit just like everyone else. I mean, you were annoyed at best pretty much the whole time. You didn't want to do this shit, and I kept making you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Karkat says, "I wasn't annoyed the whole time, and you didn't make me do anything. You of all people should know that if I truly, one hundred percent don't want to do something, I'm not going to do it. Sure, I thought this party was kind of dumb, but I did have fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You really didn't hate it?" Dave asks, starting to smile a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course not," Karkat reassures him. "I loved seeing you so excited. It's been a fair while since your face has lit up like that and I loved it. I think it was actually kind of funny when you flipped out on Jane and John. You were kind of right. It's terribly insensitive to eat someone's brethren right in front of them, especially on their birthday."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave laughs. "Well, yeah. But, you know. Maybe I took it too seriously. Rose was right. Potatoes don't have feelings. They don't even have the eyes to see what we're eating. How would they even know? I did overreact. I kind of ruined my own party by taking it too far."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my God," Karkat groans. "Dave, I just finished telling you that you didn't ruin it. I thought it was great, and it's kind of, I don't know, endearing, I guess, that you care so much even if potatoes can't appreciate the gesture. And like I said before, I haven't seen you that excited in a long time. I love when your face lights up like that because it doesn't happen often."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave grins and hugs Karkat. "Thanks, man. Glad to know someone enjoyed my party." When he pulls away, he looks at the little mayor with a smile. "You too, my little dude. Thanks for sticking around and putting up with my shenanigans." Dave outstretches a fist toward the mayor expectantly. The mayor meets it with his own fist. They pull back their hands suddenly, spreading their fingers and making a noise to imitate fireworks. Karkat laughs a little and smiles. Their interactions are always the best. So cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat remembers something and pulls out his phone as Dave talks with the mayor. A grin spreads across his face as he finds what he was looking for. It's all over the local news, videos and articles swarming the internet. Clicking on a video, Karkat pokes Dave and says, "Hey, look at this." He turns up the volume on his phone and turns it around to show Dave and the mayor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On his screen, the celebrations across the world are shown, each displaying everyone's loud cheers and the fun they're all having. A worldwide birthday party for potatoes, started by one man. Something that may become a wacky tradition in the years to come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See, Dave? You didn't ruin the night," Karkat says. "You made everyone's day better. Look at how much they love your silly Potato Day."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave smiles, replying, "Wow. I honestly didn't think they'd all actually do it." His smile falters as he thinks of how his celebration went. "It's amazing that so many people love Potato Day, but I can't stop thinking about how I ruined it for my friends. I hope I didn't push them too far this time. Seems I always take things too far."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Karkat sighs, knowing Dave won't let this go. He knows Dave is genuinely happy and excited that everyone else loved Potato Day, but he's still going to be thinking about what happened with his friends. "Come on, Dave, let's get your mind off of that," he suggests. "You shouldn't sit here dwelling on it too much. Maybe we can watch some movies or something. Let's just hang out and not think of anything at all. Just you, me, and the mayor."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave nods, agreeing. "Yeah, okay. Maybe we can salvage the rest of the night. At least for us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the next few hours watching movies and messing around until Dave looked at the time. "Oh, man, it's way past time for bed," he says. "Maybe we should hit the hay. It's really late and this day has been exhausting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both the mayor and Karkat nod in agreement. Karkat stands up to turn off the television and says, "Alright, Mayor, Dave, let's get to bed. You want to head to your room, Mayor? We'll be right there." The mayor nods and hops off the couch, walking toward his room. Karkat turns to Dave. "Are you doing okay? Not beating yourself up over what happened earlier?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dave sighs but smiles nonetheless. "Yes, Karkat, I'm fine," he reassures the troll. "It sucks, and I'm kind of upset about it, but I've had worse days. Thanks for helping me feel better."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, of course. I'm glad to help," Karkat says. Standing up with a small sigh, he outstretches a hand and pulls Dave to his feet. "Let's go put that adorable mayor to bed now, shall we?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Dave nods and hugs Karkat quickly before turning and heading to the mayor's room. It really has been a long Potato Day, and he's ready to turn in. Right after saying good night to his favorite little mayor.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know I already said to have mercy, but now I think it would be rather funny if you roasted this piece of (probably) flaming garbage. I had fun writing it at the time, and that's what matters. So roast away! Throw any insults you think this deserves. I'll have a grand ol' time reading them, and everyone here can bond over it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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